Japanese developers take less risks than western studios, says Mikami

The Evil Within creator Shinji Mikami has suggesting that Japanese studios take less risks than those in the West, and that you won’t find many publishers in Japan investing over $30 million into one title.

Speaking with GI.biz about the different strategies employees in the East and Western markets, Mikami said, “Games have become big projects, requiring a lot of resources both to create and market. Games have become more risky.

“Japanese companies don’t take those kinds of risks like Western developers do. In the past, what the Capcom president [Kenzo Tsuijimoto] told me was that game development is becoming more and more expensive and many Japanese publishers won’t be investing $30 million or more in a game.”

He believes that Western studios are, “working harder,” and added that “if we can invest $30 million into a game, we can win,” suggesting that the Japanese market could overtake the West if it too pumped more money into projects.

Part of the problem, he added, is that Japanese studios seem reluctant to employ Western tech into their projects. “As for the organizational structure of companies,” he continued. “I think it would be good if companies would be more flexible about incorporating foreign technologies.”

What do you make of the differences between development in the East and West? Is the divide purely about money and tech, or are there bigger issues at play? Let us know below.